Man&#39;s shirt



Aug. 16, 1.938. I R. OSBORN 2,127,420

MANS SHIRT Filed Jan. 28, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'MANS SHIRT Rosa Osborn, Bear Creek, Ala.

Application January 28, 1937, Serial No. 122,847

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-118) My invention is an improvement in mens shirts, and has particular reference to that style commonly known as work-shirts.

" It is well known that the upper part of a shirt is usually subjected to greater wear than the lower part, and accordingly it is a common practice to reinforce the upper part, as for instance by providing a double thickness of yoke as well as a double thickness of material or patches on the 10 sleeve at the elbows, and it is also a common practice to make up shirts so that they may be reversed or turned inside out for the purpose of distributing the wear from one side of the shirt to the other, thereby increasing the serviceability of this article of.wearing' apparel.

The purpose of my invention is to further increase the serviceability of a shirt by a construction which will permit the skirt, subjected to the least wear, to take the place of a wornportion 20 without altering the shape of the shirt or curtailing its original length, so as to thereby effect a change that will restore the neat appearance of the shirt and practically double its period of usefulness or increase its life two-fold. 5 With this principal object in view my invention contemplates a construction of shirt in which the yoke cooperates with reinforced portions of the sleeves, and the lower end of the body of the shirt is cut to correspond with the shape of the lower 4 30 part of the yoke,'so that the body of the shirt ,can be detached from the yoke and reversed end for end to bring the lower end up to take the place of the worn portion directly below the yoke; that is to say, the shape of the upper and lower ends of the body of the shirt corre spond for the purpose of changing the position of the tail or least worn portion of the shirt to the upper part thereof.

My invention therefore consists in the particu- 40 lar construction of the shirt for added economy in use, all as hereinafter described and specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a shirt constructed 45 in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear view, part of the shirtbeing broken away to show the reinforcement of the sleeve adjoining the yoke.

Fig. 3 is a front view illustrating a modifica- 50 tion of my invention, and

Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the method of carrying out the alteration.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a conventional style of work-shirt in which the 55 body portion 5, including the lower portion or as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be understood from the following description that the shape of the yokes may be varied, and that the invention is applicable to other styles of shirts than that illustrated, for the reason my, invention contemplates a remodeling of the shirt when it has become worn out at theupper part thereof.

In carrying out my invention the two thicknesses I, la of the yoke, extending across the upper part of the shirt, are extended at their ends downwardly, as at l0, Illa, to reinforce the uniiere arm portion, and to cooperate with these ex en- 1 sions there are inside patch pieces H, II sewed within the sleeve adjoining the opposite ends of the yokes. The sleeves 8, 8, which are also sewed to the ends of the yokes, are of a conven tional pattern and may be reinforced at their outer portions to and above the elbow by patches l2, extending downwardly to the cuifs !3 (Fig. 4) with the latter each provided with a button l4 at one side and a hole at the other side (Fig.1) or button holes [5, l5 (Fig. 3) to receive cuff links (not shown). It will be obvious that when the sleeves and yokes are turned inside out, and the collar 9 likewise turned inside out, these-parts of the shirt will have practically the same general appearance, the exception being that the patches or extra pieces H and it, normally at the inner side, will then be outside.

The most important feature of my invention is 3 in providing for reversing the body of the shirt to renew the upper portion thereof immediately below the yoke at the front and back, and for this purpose the outer end of the tail of the shirt is shaped to correspond exactly with the upper end of the body portion; that is, in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the opposite corners are cut away, as at Hi, to follow the contour of the extensions l0, Illa, while the straight extremities of the tail ends of the shirt join the corresponding straight edges of the yokes between said ex-, tensions. In this instance the shirt is provided with the usual narrow strip ll, for the attachment of buttons l8, and with a facing strip I9 for the button holes, both strips being looped around the edges of the material so that when the shirt is turned inside out the appearance of these strips will be the same, and it will be understood that in reversing the body of the shirt said strips may be entirely removed for locating the buttons at the proper side of the opening in the shirt after detaching the body portion from the yokes, or the upper ends of these strips may be left attached to the yokes.

In the other form of my invention showing it applied to a middy style of shirt, in,which there is a short opening at the upper end through which the head is passed in putting on the shirtinstead of a divided front as shown in Figs. 1 and 2--the said opening is preferably closed by means of a zipper closure strip 20, and in this instance the opposite end or tail of the shirt is provided with a slit 2| corresponding with a like slit covered by the zipper strip at the upper end of the body portion of the shirt, so that when said body portion is reversed, after detaching the same from the yoke pieces and removing the zipper strip, the latter can be attached to the sides of the slits 2i and 23 (Fig. 4). In this form the corners of the tail of the shirt are also cut away, as at 24, 24, to correspond with the inner edges of the extensions l0, Illa of the yokes 1, la, so that said tail end of the shirt will fit the yokes at the front and back of the shirt, whereby, as hereinbefore explained, the tail portion or skirt of the body portion of the shirt, which has not been subjected to the wear to which the upper part has been subjected, may be substituted therefor. It will be obvious that the construction of shirt as hereinbefore described can be carried out in connection with different styles of shirts, and instead of an attached collar an ordinary collar-band can be substituted, or other changes made to suit the style of shirt desired, including those for womens wear as well as mens wear.

The method of remodeling a shirt from the material used in its original form will be readily understood from the foregoing description of my improved construction of shirt, for in either form of my invention the shirt is turned inside out and then it is only necessary to rip the stitches connecting the body portion to the yokes, for disconnecting said body portion, and after reversing the ends of the latter sew what was formerly the tail end to said yokes; the button strips shown in Figs. 1 and 2 first being either remov'ed entirely or partially in making the change, while the employment of a zipper device for closing the opening at the front of the shirt, Figs. 3 and 4,

will require the removal of the zipper strip so that the usual operating piece, 25, will be at the front of the shirt when the change is made.

A shirt constructed in accordance with my invention will provide an economical article of wearing apparel, for it practically renews portions of the shirt which have become worn out, as when the change is made the remodeled shirt will near ly approach the appearance of a new shirt above the waist line of the wearer, for the reason that the yokes formerly atthe inner side, as well as the inner sides of the sleeves and patches at the upper ends thereof, will be on the outside, while that part of the body portion immediately below the yokes at the front and back will be renewed by the substitution of the tail of the shirt.

Having described my invention, I claim:-

I. A new article of manufacture in the form of a reversible shirt adapted to increase its wearing qualities, comprising a yoke having downwardly extending and portions completing the arm holes, sleeves sewed to the end extensions of the yoke, and a body portion shaped at its upper end to correspond with the lower edges of the yoke and its extensions to which it is sewed, said body portion forming the front and back of the shirt to include a skirt having the lower end thereof shaped to correspond exactly with the contour of the lower edges of the yoke and its extensions, to provide for reversing the entire body portion end for end in substituting the skirt for the upper part of said body portion.

2. A new article of manufacture in the form of a reversible shirt adapted to increase its wearing qualities, comprising a double thickness yoke extending from the front to the back and over the shoulders of the shirt, said yoke having downwardly extending end portions cooperating to complete the arm holes, sleeves sewed to the end extensions of the yoke, and a body portion shaped at its upper end to correspond with the lower edges of the yoke and its extensions to which it is sewed, said body portion forming the front and back of the shirt to include a skirt having the lower end thereof shaped to correspond exactly with the contour of the lower edges of the yoke and its extensions, to provide for reversing the entire body portion end for end in substituting the skirt for the upper part of said bodyportion.

ROSA OSBORN. 

